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Kids With Past Concussions Take Longer to Recover

MONDAY, June 10 (HealthDay News) -- Kids who suffer a concussion
may have a substantially slower recovery if they've sustained one
or more blows to the head in the past, a new study finds.

Researchers report that among 280 kids and young adults who
sustained a concussion over one year, those who'd suffered one in
the past took twice as long to recover -- typically 24 days, versus
12 days for kids with no history of concussion.

What's more, the number of past concussions, and the timeframe
of kids' head injuries, appeared key. Young people who'd sustained
a concussion in the past year had a prolonged recovery from the
current one -- typically 35 days.

Recovery was also slower for those who'd had two or more
concussions in the past, at any time. It typically took 28 days for
their symptoms to fully resolve.

Experts said the findings, reported online June 10 and in the
July print issue of
Pediatrics, have implications for managing kids' head
injuries.

When they have had multiple concussions, or a relatively recent
one, parents and doctors should probably be "extra cautious" about
letting them back into sports, said lead researcher Dr. Matthew
Eisenberg, of Boston Children's Hospital.

Sports are a major cause of young people's concussions -- and
accounted for almost two-thirds of those in this study. In general,
experts say those kids should not get back into the game until all
of their symptoms have resolved, and a health professional gives
them the OK.

So be even more patient when a youngster has a history of
concussions, Eisenberg said. That means not only waiting until any
symptoms go away to get active again, but gradually moving back
into the normal routine.

"You do not want them to go from zero to 60," Eisenberg said.

That gradual return is important any time an athlete has had a
concussion. But it's probably even more vital with repeat
concussions, agreed Keith Yeates, chief of pediatric psychology and
neuropsychology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus,
Ohio.

"It's been part of the medical lore, this idea that multiple concussions are 'bad,' and having a repeat concussion within a short amount of time is bad," Yeates said. But this study, he added, helps confirm that.

One of the big remaining questions, though, is whether kids with
repeat concussions suffer any long-term consequences, Yeates
said.

"We don't know if there are any effects on long-term cognition or memory," study author Eisenberg agreed. There have been reports that professional athletes who suffer blows to the head may be at heightened risk of degenerative brain diseases later on. A recent study found increased risks of Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's disease in retired pro football players, for example.

But Eisenberg pointed out that those athletes are routinely
exposed to high-impact collisions. No one knows if kids'
concussions, even repeat ones, would translate to health effects
down the road.

According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
more than 173,000 U.S. children and teens land in the ER each year
because of a concussion sustained in sports or recreational
activities, like bike riding.

Concussion symptoms include headache, dizziness, nausea, ringing
in the ears, fatigue and confusion -- though these problems may not
become noticeable until hours after the jolt to the head. And
contrary to popular belief, concussions usually do not involve loss
of consciousness.

The current findings are based on 280 11- to 22-year-olds
treated at the Boston Children's ER for a concussion. Of these, 21
patients had a concussion within the past year; and typically,
Eisenberg's team found, their recovery from the current injury was
three times longer, versus the recovery times of kids who'd never
had a concussion before.

It's not clear, though, whether that high-risk time window
actually lasts a whole year. "We need to figure out, more
specifically, what the vulnerable window is," Eisenberg said. "Is
it one month? Is it three months? We don't know."

Both Eisenberg and Yeates said they are big supporters of sports
and exercise, and they would not want parents to keep their kids
out of activities over concussion fears.

But both also said that if your child has suffered more than one
concussion in a particular sport, it may be time to think about
changing to a different activity.

"We don't know what the long-term risks might be," Yeates said. "But since we don't know, it seems best to be conservative and assume it's not good for kids to have multiple concussions."

Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.